That’s the battle cry of sports fans everywhere whenever their season falls short of championship expectations. And once again, Nebraska football fans find themselves sitting on the sidelines waiting for next year.

It’s been over 20 years since the Huskers were in the National Championship hunt. It was an era long before NIL, and transfer portals. The student athletes weren’t getting paid but rather they were getting an education.

And while the Husker Volleyball program shines and the football and basketball programs are getting better, cuts are being made in academics at the University level. While the athletes are making money off NIL, professors are facing budget cuts and losing their jobs. Cuts are being made in academic programs across the board as the Regents face a 58-million-dollar shortfall over the next 2 years.

The University of Nebraska Foundation is in the middle of trying to raise 3 billion dollars to shore up its academic programs at the same time Trev Alberts and the athletic department are trying to raise $450 million dollars for improvements in south stands of Memorial Stadium.

The Athletic Department is self-sufficient getting its revenue from ticket sales, TV and radio broadcasts, concessions, sponsorships and big donations from the boosters. Historically whenever Tom Osborne or whoever the AD was asked for cash these boosters were more than willing to write the checks.

But that could be changing. Aaron Sanderford with the Nebraska Examiner reports that some athletic boosters are having second thoughts about supporting the changes in the south stands. There are those who evidently feel that maybe now isn’t the time to be putting their money in the stadium when the classroom needs it more.

Now don’t get me wrong. I love Nebraska football. I believe that Matt Ruhle is on the right track. And I know that our football program helps to promote the University to recruit potential students looking for the total collegiate experience. But we should be just as, if not more concerned, about losing the brightest and the best professors and researchers as we are about losing a gifted athlete to the transfer portal. Sports are important, but so are the arts and sciences.

You see our football team isn’t the only program trying to work its way back into national relevance. Our scholastic programs are trying to do the same.

Up until 2011, the University of Nebraska was part of the Association of American Universities. A prestigious organization of research institutions. Nebraska had been a part of this organization since 1909. But their research programs slipped, and they were the first member to be voted out. They are attempting to be the first former member to be voted back in. As college of Arts and Sciences Dean Button said at an open meeting regarding the cuts, “You don’t cut your way into the AAU.”

I agree with those who say that not everyone needs a college education. We need people to be plumbers, electricians, carpenters, hair stylists, and other trades. And I realize that the problem of young adults coming out of school with insurmountable debt needs to be addressed.

But would putting that donor money into agriculture, medical, physics, and other research projects benefit the state more than taking out some seats and making things more comfortable for the fans to maintain the sellout streak?

 Nebraska is lucky to have a generous philanthropic community. But there are only so many big money donors to go around. You can’t blame them if some are re-evaluating their priorities.

The media world is rapidly changing. Quality journalists are what help keep our government in check. I owe my career in large part, to the broadcast department at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. I would hate to see the journalism department not have the resources to train the reporters and broadcasters of tomorrow to be able to compete in a tough, ever-changing environment. Likewise, I would hate to see the ag researchers not have the resources to provide information on how farmers can thrive in these times of climate change, or the medical researchers not being able to keep up with the latest cancer, ALS, contagious disease and other research.

There is no place like Nebraska. As we lick our wounds from another losing football season let’s not forget the academic side of the University. When it comes to renovating the stands in the south stadium, maybe they’ll just have to wait till next year.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.